Meet Jaime

Describe your educational background. Where did you study, what degrees did you receive? 
Tufts University. BA in Liberal Arts, majored in English and Political Science. NYU: M.A. in Publishing

Describe your career history. What have been your professional experiences prior to your current position?
After graduating, I went back to Spain and worked in my family’s business for a few years, doing a lot of Real Estate. But I always wanted to be in publishing, so I enrolled at the NYU Publishing program.

What are your current roles and responsibilities? Working in a small imprint in Knopf, we get to do more than in other larger imprints. Basically, we get to do a bit of everything: editorial, publicity, publishing, advertising…

Describe a typical day at your job:
One of the great things about my job is that everyday you do different things. One day I’ll be editing, another researching books, or reading or arranging an author tour... Impossible to get bored.

What attracted you to your company and position? What is your favorite thing about your job? 
Is it clichéd to say “the people”? Probably, but it’s still very true. I also love that I get to do so many different things. And the fact we get a surprising amount of freedom (and responsibilities) right from the start.

What has been your most memorable moment (so far) in your job? When I saw someone on a subway reading a book I had edited.

If you could meet anyone from history, living or dead, who would it be? 
Winston Churchill

If I were a cartoon character, I would be… 
I have to go with Mr. Burns.

What qualities do you feel are necessary to be a successful employee at your company? 
We get a lot of freedom, so initiative, independence and responsibility play a big part. Also, the ability to multi-task comes in very handy.

Have you had the opportunity to travel as part of your job? 
Not yet.

Do you feel you have a good understanding of Bertelsmann and its corporate culture? 
Absolutely. I feel it’s a very simple culture of attracting great talent and giving them a lot of freedom. It works.

My favorite book, movie and artist are… 
Right now I’m really into Jonathan Coe, especially The Rotters’ Club, and I’m listening a lot to Interpol. I’m also watching more shows than movies; Deadwood is simply amazing.